NDLEA Busts Cocaine Ring Using Palm Oil Tins, Arrests Kingpin in Lagos Crackdown

By Zainab Uzomah| Abuja

NDLEA says it has uncovered a cocaine trafficking network that concealed drugs in tins of palm kernel oil bound for the United Kingdom, following a series of intelligence-led operations in Lagos and other parts of the country.

According to a statement signed by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the operation began on 11 March 2026 when officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos intercepted 3.1kg of cocaine hidden in palm kernel extract cans at the export shed. Two suspects were arrested, leading to a wider investigation that uncovered the alleged sender, Ezemuwo Joel, and ultimately the group’s leader, 52-year-old King Arinze, who was arrested at a hideout in Isolo. A subsequent raid on a warehouse in the area yielded hundreds of tins prepared for drug concealment, along with equipment used in the operation. Officials say the suspect admitted draining the oil to hide the cocaine.

In a separate operation in north-eastern Borno state, a 28-year-old woman, Aisha Adamu, was arrested along the Gamboru Ngala road with 4.3kg of Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis. Authorities allege she supplied drugs to armed groups operating across the region and neighbouring Chad.

Elsewhere, a pastor, Afolabi Hodonu, and his wife, Success Hodonu, were arrested at a checkpoint in Badagry, Lagos, after officers discovered 11kg of skunk concealed in their vehicle. Their arrest followed the earlier interception of a suspected fake security agent transporting 24.5kg of the same substance along the same route.

Further seizures were reported across several states. In Adamawa, officers intercepted a truck carrying 48,000 tramadol pills and arrested both the driver and the intended recipient. In Ondo, a forest raid led to the recovery of 351kg of cannabis, while in Edo state more than 1,300kg was seized from a warehouse. Additional arrestsand drug recoveries were also made in Osun, Benue and Oyo states, including a case involving a woman accused of using her 11-year-old daughter to distribute drugs.

The agency also said it continued its public awareness campaign, delivering anti-drug lectures in schools across multiple states as part of its War Against Drug Abuse initiative.

NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), commended officers involved in the operations, saying the arrests highlighted the agency’s growing intelligence capabilities. He added that traffickers would be pursued regardless of the methods or identities they use.